It’s a double whammy this weekend with the Euro 2020 and the Wimbledon finals! We know sport is not everybody’s cup of tea, but both tournaments have given people something to get excited about after a long winter.
As nerves and excitement heighten towards the finals, it’s important to remember to look after your body before, during and after the big game.
Listen to Dr Claire Maguire on BBC Radio York as she joins Joanita Musisi to talk all about your body’s response to the Euro 2020 final tomorrow, how to manage your stress, and top tips on what you should eat and drink the following day to help your body recover.
Of course, this advice is relevant to any big, stressful event you may encounter 😊
TRANSCRIPT:
BBC Radio 0:00
What can you do to get our bodies ready for the game? Never mind the players, you know the strain on our hearts, the excitement, the tension, the anxiety, if it how do we prepare for the sore heads the morning after what we’ve got to get into work. Joining me now is well being coach. Dr. Claire Maguire. Good afternoon, Dr. Claire.
Dr Claire Maguire 0:20
Good afternoon. How are you?
BBC Radio 0:22
I’m alright, thank you just take us through the strain that we’re going to have with all that excitement, and to be honest, the tension and the anxiety on our bodies,
Dr Claire Maguire 0:34
Well just listening to everybody then instead of everyone’s getting excited and they’re getting themselves worked up think we have to remember, is a stressful experience. So first and foremost, if we can acknowledge it will be stressful. There’s going to be loads of emotion either celebrating, commiserating, hopefully celebrating, we have to acknowledge the impact that will have on the body.
BBC Radio 0:56
Exactly what though? What are we going to be going through?
Dr Claire Maguire 0:59
You’re going to be going through a stress response. We know when we get stressed we have all of that adrenaline pumping around the body. So it’s a real physical reaction within us the body is heightened emotions are heightened, our experience is heightened, we are super aware of every little minute detail. And you know, the body is just waiting to go into fight or flight. We’re ready to you know, either give it our all, to punch the air to bang the ground.
BBC Radio 1:33
Olay, Olay, Olay
Dr Claire Maguire 1:37
Absolutely.
BBC Radio 1:38
The thing is, is it for a prolonged period of time, that’s the thing you know, because hopefully it’s just for 90 minutes, but the thought of it going into extra time. And then penalties is just it’s just I’ve got dread inside my heart Claire.
Dr Claire Maguire 1:55
The thing is, like I was saying how can we prepare for it? You know, we don’t know how long it will be and you know, the football players have a coach I’m a coach, but for your well being. So coach yourself, what can you do to prime yourself to look after yourself so we could start no footballers are getting ready in the afternoon. You could start in the afternoon and start to really get yourself ready to start to really enjoy however long it might take. So that’s what we need to do.
BBC Radio 2:24
Because it’s gonna be fun, isn’t it? It’s supposed to be fun.
Dr Claire Maguire 2:29
We haven’t been in this division for a long time. A long long time.
BBC Radio 2:35
Yeah, something like that long a long time. We’ll call it a long time. Yeah.
Yeah, does drinking help? Because I know there’ll be a lot of you know shandies being had
Dr Claire Maguire 2:46
well bizarrely drinking does help and I’m sure people might like to hear that but you know, the reason drinking does help is actually help to calm our stress response down it actually helps to numb out ever so slightly, but obviously too much alcohol then going to not help. I’m sure people don’t want to hear that. Do they no?
BBC Radio 3:05
No, but we already know that their doctor Claire, what should we be eating them to get ourselves ready?
Dr Claire Maguire 3:11
So I believe personally, a really good Sunday roast. It’s on Sunday. So a good Sunday roast beforehand would be fantastic. Yeah. All your protein, it’s got the carbs. It’s got some good veggies in there. So really enjoy that Sunday roast dinner. Yeah. warmed up.
BBC Radio 3:29
And if we look ahead to the sore heads on Monday, what can we do? What what could we be drinking? What should we have in the fridge? Ready to prepare ourselves to go back to work?
Dr Claire Maguire 3:40
Go in the fridge, lots of water. You know, things like you know those sparkling b vitamins that dissolve in a drink, you know? have them ready because that can be really helpful. Fruit, bananas and porridge for breakfast in the morning. I know people like a fryer.
BBC Radio 4:01
No fry up, no fry up, porridge instead.
Dr Claire Maguire 4:05
Orange and bananas. It wasn’t quite as exciting as a prior dessert.
BBC Radio 4:09
And no I have to admit it doesn’t at all.
And if we’re lucky enough, if somebody is lucky enough to have the day off, and maybe splash out a bit, what could they do to get rid of all the toxins from overindulging.
Dr Claire Maguire 4:21
So a really good thing if you’ve got the day off is a pamper day, just relax. Have a lovely bath. The salts in the bath like Epsom salts really good for detoxing the body. And just you know while the day away listening to music, and hopefully celebrating.
BBC Radio 4:39
Yeah, well Fingers crossed. We are. I’ve got to ask, Are you going to be watching the game?
Dr Claire Maguire 4:44
I will be watching the game. Definitely. So I’m going to go off to a pub hopefully somewhere. You know, cheer everybody on.
BBC Radio 4:51
Yeah. Wonderful. Wonderful. Well, Dr Claire, thank you so much for getting us ready. Our bodies ready.
Dr Claire Maguire 5:00
Hey, yeah, and there’s one more thing I could ask quickly.
BBC Radio 5:02
Yeah, go on.
Dr Claire Maguire 5:04
So to really get our bodies ready and stuff, because I really did love to put into the power of our breath. So if everybody could just start practising breathing.
BBC Radio 5:13
Should we have a go now? Should we have go now?
Dr Claire Maguire 5:15
So I’d like you to imagine that you’ve got a deflated football in your tummy.
BBC Radio 5:21
Yeah.
Dr Claire Maguire 5:22
And then you’re going to breathe and you’re inflating that football in your stomach.
BBC Radio 5:27
Yes.
Dr Claire Maguire 5:28
So that it’s getting much bigger. Yeah. And then, as you’re breathing out, that football is deflating again. And then just breathing in and allowing that football to inflate. And then to deflate really good for just helping you to manage the stress so that we can practice that before the match.
BBC Radio 5:48
Wonderful.
Dr Claire Maguire 5:49
And one final thing, if we do get really tense, and we really hold on to our breath, I’d like you to imagine you blowing that football out of your mouth with a lot of forces. If you’re trying to score a goal with it.
You’re breathing in and you’re blowing it out. And that’s really good for just shaking everything off.
BBC Radio 6:08
Do you know Dr Claire. So what I’m thinking now is that if we’re losing then everybody in the stadium does a collective one of those. blows the balls.
Brilliant idea. I’m loving this. Have you been training Gareth Southgate? I’m sure you have
Dr Claire, thank you so much for being on the show. Lovely to talk to you.
Dr Claire Maguire 6:31
You’re more than welcome. Good luck for Sunday.
BBC Radio 6:34
Yeah, absolutely. Dr. Claire Maguire there, wellbeing coach based in Thirsk wonderful that isn’t it. So breathe in and out. Let’s get ready. Get your bath salts ready. Plenty of water as well.